CHILD MORTALITY AND FAMILY SURVIVAL:
Vital statistics for the century is one benefit from the laborious census process. One of the factors we look carefully at is child mortality.
In 1900 > 3 per 100 children died between 1st and 20th birthday
In 2000 < 2 per 1000 children died between 1st and 20th birthday
At the beginning of the 20th century, the leading causes of death in 1-19 year olds were diseases like:
Diarrheal diseases
Diphtheria (175,000/year in 1920)
Measles (500,000/year in 1920)
Pneumonia
Influenza
Scarlet fevers
Whooping cough (150,000/year in 1920)
By 1998 these deaths fell by 99.7%.
Ninety percent of these deaths declined before WWII through water treatment, food safety, waste disposal, public health education, and improved housing conditions.
Summary from Pediatrics, December 2000, "Annual Summary of Vital Statistics"
DR. JANE'S COMMENT:
I find it fascinating to learn how far we've come since the turn of the century. As a pediatrician, I am of course pleased to hear that a century's public health efforts have made our world safer for our families, and that more of our children are living to adulthood to live out God's purposes.
But I see something else in these statistics that isn't reported by the census. This is the value of our God. Over the century, our value of God has decreased as our survival rates have increased. From our devaluing of God, we have gotten careless with our value of life. At the turn of the century, children were desired and valued. But now, our families are fractured. Children are desired, but not valued. As a society, we want children, but we do not want to raise them. Or we have bought into the lie that we do not have the skills or authority to raise them.
God tells us not only do we have the authority, but we also have the skills we need to accomplish this from His word. He tells us to
"Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Teach them diligently to your children. Talk about them when you sit at home, and when you walk along the road, when lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates." Deuteronomy 6:5-9
We are to start with the Lord, learn His word fully, then teach His love and ways to your kids.
God predicted in Deuteronomy that when His people became comfortable with plenty that they would forget Him. We have done the same. Let us in this next century continue to increase survival rates through God given technologies and, most importantly, by keeping Him our most honored relationship. In this way, we will keep our families desired and valued.